Drive for automatic pianos



C. H. SMITH.

DRIVE'FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED APR,30, I921.

Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

l i I I l I lQ ILH'IE Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

CHARLES B. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRIVE FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOS.

Application filed April 30, 1921. Serial No. 465,627.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Drives for Automatic Pianos. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic pianos in which the hammers are actuated pneumatically and the motive air is controlled by a perforated music sheet wound on player drums or rolls. One of the objects of my invention is to correlate the air exhauster and the roll actuating mechanism, driving them from a common prime mover and thus insuring synchronism and avoiding the necessity of providing two prime movers. Ancillary to this general object, it is my purpose to provide actuating mechanism which will be substantially noiseless and which will readily lend itself to quantity production and incidentally, assemblage by persons having only a moderate degree of skill in mechanics.

I accomplish my object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification.

Referring to the drawing, the air hose 1 leads from the wind chest in the manner well known to those skilled in this art. The flow of air from it is controlled by a manually operated valve 2. The hose connects with a casing 4 within which are an electric motor and an exhaust fan which force the air out of the mouth 5 at the bottom of the casing. Motor driven exhausters are well known in the art and may assume a variety of forms, and hence, need not be described or shown in detail. The casing and its contents are supported upon a suitable suspension mechanism. By preference this consists of leather or fabric straps 6 hung from a stationary part of the piano in the well known manner. One advantage of such type of suspension means is that the jar of the operating mechanism is absorbed and the action is substantiall silent. The mechanism thus far descri ed is-known and no claim is laid to it per so.

Now referring to the novel portion of the mechanism: the motor shaft 10 is extended upward through the casing and is provided with a worm 12 adapted to mesh with and rotate a worm gear 13. Gear 13 is mounted upon a shaft 14 which is journaled in two bearings 16 rising from the top of the motor casing. Shaft 14 is connected by means of a universal joint 20 to a second shaft 21, and this in turn is connected with a second universal joint consisting of a member 22 fastened to shaft 21, and a member 23 which has a squared socket 24 in its outer end adapted to slidingly receive the squared end of a shaft 26. Shaft 26 is journaled in a bracket 28 and at its opposite end has rigidly fastened to it a friction wheel 30 adapted to engage the face of a friction disc 32. Disc 32 is rigidly fastened to a worm shaft 33 provided with a worm 34 meshing with a gear 35. Gear 35 is one of a train of gears indicated in general by 36. This train is so constructed as to properly operate the shafts 40 and 41 of the rolls 42, 43 which support the music sheet 44. The music sheet travels past a tracker bar 46. The tracker bar, player rolls and the gearing 36 are of any suitable type, and as these parts are well known in player pianos, they need not be further described.

Shaft 26, previously mentioned, is longitudinally adjustable in bracket 28. This is accomplished in the present case by collars 50 located on either side of the bracket and held in place by set screws 51.

The operation will now be readily 'under stood. When the operator starts the motor the exhauster draws air from the hose 1 and ejects it through the bottom 5 of the casing 4 in the usual and well known manner. In my apparatus, however, the motor of the exhauster accomplishes a second purpose, for it rotates the worm gear 12, 13 and shafts 14 and 21. The motion is transmitted through the universal joint 22, 23 to shaft 26 which in turnrotates friction wheel 30 and drives the friction disc 32 and the roll operating mechanism. Any desired speed ratio between the roll operating mechanism and the air exhauster may be obtained by adjusting the friction wheel 30 relatively to disc 32. The sheet may be wheel 30 radially outward toward the periphery of disc 32 and vice versa. The adspeeded up by shifting her ot the second universal. joint.

justment is made by loosening the set screws 51 and properly adjusting the shaft 26 with pcct to the bracket 28 and the socket mem- The connection. between shall. and the socket in which it sli and by which it is rotated may be regarc .d telescopic in the sense that it is slidable in the direction otthe axis. This characteristic has a secondadvantage in addition to the one which makes it pos sible to vary the speed. ratios between the air exhauster and the player rolls. It facilitates assembly and at the same time avoids the need of great care and accuracy in positioning the roll operating mechanism with respect-to the air eXhauster. It will be understood that during manufacture one workman may mount the eahauster and another may mount the sheet controllingmechanism, and the mechanisms nay be placed slightly too far apart or too close together ortheaxis of the shaft 14: may be out or alinemcntwith the axis of shaft 536. With my construction such inaccuracies are rendered harmless. If adjustment is required lengthwise of shaft 726 it is free to occur as a result of the telescopic connection between said shaft and the socket into which it fits. Itshaft 14: is out of alinement with shaft 26 the universal joints compensate for the difference in aline- 'ment, and as the exhauster is flexibly suspended upon the straps 6, it is free toswing to a limited extent in any direction. Hence the connection is most flexible and universal and there is no need for great care or accuracy in positioning the different units of the apparatus.

Another advantage oi my construction is that a single motor within the exhauster is utilized for actuating both the exhaust tan and the mechanism which actuates the player rolls. This has the advantage of dis pensing with a separate motor for driving the rolls and also insures proper correlation and synchronism for the two units are certain to operate in harmony and yet any desired relative speed ratios may be obtained.

Having thus described invention what I claim as new and desire to ecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a player piano, a freely swinging unit comprising a motor and an air er:- hauster driven by the motor; stationary mechanism for controlling the motive air by which the piano is actuated, and power connections between said motor and said ee-ro n me wism it is wer Pia o u seeer i ne a meter e r h es er dr ves y t met r f n mes s"can s cc e n said-unitary emitter stationary but r0 .t

{mus tori operating the control slleet of the p ano and self-ad ust.

, a se et n be t en e fine y s spende sis er and th stationary rolls for transmitting motion from the former to the latter.

8. 111 a player piano, rolls for operating the control sheet, said rolls being rotatable but otherwise stationary, an air enhaus For creating suction by which the instrument is caused to produce sound, a motor, flexible means for frcely suspending said motor, connections between the motor and the air exhauster, and independent connections between the motor and the rolls said independent connections being universal in the sense of permitting tree bodily movement of the .motor upon its suspending means.

4;. In a. player piano, the combination of a control sheet .rolls tor operating same, the rolls being rotatable but otherwisestationary, an airexhauster, a motor connected to the air exhauster for actuating it, flexible suspending means for freely suspending said mot-or, andindependent connections between the motor and rollstor transmitting motion from the motor to the rolls, said independent connections including two universal joints and a telescopic joint whereby the motor may move bodily and at the same time continue to transmit its rotary motion to the rolls.

5. A drive for automatic player pianos having player rolls, roll operating mechanism, an airexhaustcr, flexible means for suspending the air exhaustcr, a motor carried bysaid suspending means and adapted to operate the exhauster, and correlating connections for operating exhauster and roll operating mechanism in synchronism, said connections including two telescoping mem bers for permitting the exhauster to swing through a limited arc.

.6. A drive for automatic player pianos haying player rolls, roll operating mech amsm, an (111' exhauster, flexible means for suspending the air exhauster, a motor carrled by sald suspending means and adapted to operate the exhauster, and a shaft adapted to connect the motor to said roll operating mechanism, said shaft having a double universal joint whereby the relative positions of the exhauster and the roll operating mechanism may be varied.

7. A .drive for automatic player .pianos having player rolls, roll operating imechanisrn, an air exhauster, a motor connected to said air exhaust-er for actuating it, flexible means for freely suspending said motor,

that. shaft for connecting the motor to the roll igjerating mechanism, said shat-t having inter tting, relatively slidable power transn tting, members whereby it is freely extensible and "the distance between the motor and the roll operating mechanism may be e ie a d eutemati a y c mp f 1% A .dli i te a tomatic P P a o and the other of which carries one member of the friction drive whereby the speed ratio of the friction drive may be varied Without varyin the relative positions of the exhauster and roll operating mechanism.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

OHARLES H. SMITH. 

